My cortisol fluctuates. It wasn't a problem until withdrawal from an antidepressant a year and a half ago. I've been working with an ND since then and she says this is a common symptom of psychotropic drug withdrawal. Sometimes the cortisol dips too low but more often it goes too high, especialy if I've been at work or doing anything else that can be overstimulating.

I've got some herbs that help when this happens. I take ginkgo and ashwagandha before bed, and relora as needed. If I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding then sometimes I will take relora, and it helps.

Unfortunately I think the mercury is doing something to dysregulate my body clock, and it's very noticeable at this time of year. It's been a struggle ever since the clocks went back. I seem to have settled into a pattern of getting very tired at 8pm and waking at 4 am. Can't really do anything in the evening because of the tiredness. My body is producing melatonin, making me want to sleep.

My sleep was massively disturbed when I started the last chelation round. So I suppose this is an improvement over that. I'm hoping that the next round might help normalise things even more. What I'm afraid of is all the SAD-related symptoms returning. I don't know if the disrupted circadian rhythms cause them, or are just a concurrent symptom. But typically by the end of January onwards, I'm in deep depression and fog. I'm trying to get my career back on track and it is definitely not needed. One day at a time I suppose . . .